This invention relates to tire tread strips and elastomeric compositions for producing same.
Increased efforts have been made in recent years by the tire industry to reduce the frictional rolling resistance of treads of pneumatic automobile tires, in order to meet the urgent need for decreased fuel consumption.
Tire treads must have a satisfactory spectrum of usage qualities, which can be described by the following combination of properties:
(a) low heat buildup under dynamic stress and a correspondingly low frictional resistance to rolling, accompanied by a small amount of consumed energy and accordingly by low fuel consumption (economy);
(b) adequate damping and accordingly a high wet skid resistance (safety);
(c) high abrasion resistance and accordingly high wearing efficiency (economy).
This combination of properties is insufficiently realized by the tread strips of the prior art (DOS's 2,843,794, 3,133,544, and 3,151,139; German Patent No. 3,217,622; British patent application No. 2,090,840; U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,363).